Fixing a Broken Man
by Moonetta
Summary: One day, on a school trip, a girl comes across a blue box and out stumbles a man in a brown, pinstripe suit. An adventure leads to an invitation to travel all of time and space with the man, and, of course, the girl agrees. But, the girl knows everything about this man, could she even know haw to bring back the one person he misses most?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

It's 8 o'clock in the morning and everyone is piling aboard a school bus destined for the Great Escape. Well, everyone who's in chorus at least.

As we climb aboard, everyone was of course giving me weird looks. I don't know why. I mean, they should be use to me wearing my bright blue Chucks with shorts. Honestly. What other shoes are even worth wearing? Converse rock. Even the Doctor agrees, based on the show. Plus, they are insanely comfortable. And, besides, it could have been worse. I could have been wearing the ones I had decorated myself. They were white knock-offs; now they're covered in fabric paint and pay homage to Doctor Who. The only reasons I wasn't wearing them was one, because I had just finished them last night, and two, there was the possibility they would get wet and I hadn't sealed them yet. No need to ruin them.

Anyway, they would get used to them in a minute.

About 2 ½ hours later, we were pulling into the parking lot at Great Escape. Everyone got off the bus and gathered in groups. In my group were my friends Caitie, Krystal, Elissa, Lauren, and John. After everyone was through the gates, we were told to meet up at the food area by 11 o'clock for the competition and lunch. Everyone agreed and then we were off.

At 10:30 we started making our way to the food are. We took first in the competition and then had lunch. After that, we headed to the Comet. That was when I saw it. A blue 1950's police box sitting off to the side of the pathway. It had a 'Pull to Open Free for use of Public' sign on one door and a St. John's Ambulance Service sticker on the other. Its golden Yale lock glowed brightly in the sun.

_Could it be?_ I thought. _Is that the TARDIS?_ Slowly, I walked closer. I was about 3 steps away from the mysterious (but awesome, if I was right) blue box when the door burst open. Out flew a tall, paper thin man with messy brown hair wearing red Chucks, a brown pinstripe suit, and a long brown trench coat. In other words, the Doctor.

I stood, gaping in surprise, as he literally ran into me. I fell to the ground with a gasp and he tumbled down beside me.

He lay stunned for a minute before jumping to his feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked, offering a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. My head barely came up to his shoulder.

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm Erika." Would he introduce himself as the Doctor or as John Smith?

"Nice to meet you, Erika. I'm the Doctor. Love to stay and chat, but there's…. stuff…happening. So, bye!" He started to run past me, but I caught his sleeve and stopped him,

"Do you need any help?" I asked. He blinked in surprise.

"Are you offering?" the Doctor asked slowly.

I rolled my eyes. "No. I'm asking if you need help for no reason at all." I smirked at him. He grinned and ran his hand through his already messy hair.

"Sure. Come on then!" He started running again. I took one glance at my friends who, apparently not having noticed my absence, were still walking toward the rollercoaster. Then, I ran after the Doctor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- The Cyberman**

Running quickly, I caught up to the Doctor.

"What exactly is this 'stuff' that's happening anyway?" I asked. Our Chucks slapped the pavement as we dashed through the park.

"There have been reports of a 'metal robot thing' –their words, not mine- in the park. Although, what else a robot would be made of, I'm unsure of. Well, an Earth robot anyway," he replied.

"So," I thought for a moment. "It's either a Cyberman or a Dalek, right?"

He stumbled in surprise but kept running, all the while staring at me. "How do you know those names?" he asked.

I snorted. "Smartest being in the universe and you don't even know there's a TV show about you."

Apparently, the Dalek-Cyberman-metal thing could wait because he pulled me to a stop.

"What do you mean, there's a TV show about me?"

"Really? You didn't know?" I asked incredulously. "It's bloody fantastic! It started in, like, the 60s, but I only stated watching when the 'New Series' began. Super popular in England. Oh, and your pretty much the favorite Doctor." I grinned at the look on his face.

"Really?" He preened, straightening his tie. "Am I _your_ favorite Doctor?"

"Well, yeah." I looked at my shoes. He looked down too, and chuckled. "What are you laughing at, Spaceman?"

"Chucks. You're wearing Chucks with shorts."

You're one to talk, Mr. 'I wear Chucks with a suit'!"

"They're comfy and good for running!" he defended.

I giggled. "Preaching to the choir there Spaceman. And, speaking of running…" I nodded in the direction we had been running before we were distracted.

"Oh! Right! Allons-y!" he grabbed my hand and pulled me after him. Soon we were at the front of the park. Standing amid a growing crowd, was a Cyberman. We skidded to a stop.

"I thought they were all sucked into the Void?" I asked.

"I thought so too. Apparently, I lost her for nothing," the Doctor muttered withdrawing into himself.

I placed my hand on his arm and forced him to look at me. "Doctor, as long as something can be remembered, it can come back. Nothing is ever truly gone. She's only in another universe. We can get her back." He glared at me, but I remained unwavering before his 'Oncoming Storm' look.

"Don't you go all 'Oncoming Storm' on me Mister! I know you think it's impossible, but when had impossible ever stopped you? Or Rose, for that matter? After we deal with the Cyberman, I will help you get her back, I promise," I said.

The 'Oncoming Storm' faded from his eyes and turned into a sadness thinly covered by determination. "Let's go then," the Doctor said.

I smiled gently, knowing he still wasn't convinced we could get Rose back. "I know this is probably a stupid question, but do you have a plan?"

"You mean, beyond get rid of the Cyberman?" I nodded. "Then no." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I…," I hesitated, "I might."

His eyes lit up. "What is it?"

Looking away from him in embarrassment, I said, "Well, a Cyberman's a robot, right? So it runs on electricity and electricity doesn't mix well with water. Well, there's a boat ride thing over there," I pointed to our left, "so, we lure it over to the water and shove it in." He looked at me with his mouth open. I blushed. Honestly, what made me think that if he couldn't come up with a good plan, that I could? After all, he's a Time Lord with nearly a thousand years of knowledge stored up and I'm just a 'stupid ape', to use the words of his 9th self. "Never mind, it's stupid. Forget I said anything."

"No, no, no, no, no!" he said hurriedly. My eyes darted back to him from where they had drifted off. "It's brilliant, and it's exactly what we're going to do." I smiled at him.

"But, how are we going to distract him?" I asked. He shrugged, and then stepped into the Cyberman's sight.

"Hello there!" he yelled over the noise of the crowd. The Cyberman's metal head turned toward him.

"Doctor!" came its tinny voice. "Must delete the Doctor." The familiar sound of firing air pistons followed but a thump as its foot hit the ground rang through the courtyard as the metal man began to walk toward the Doctor, who pretended to be afraid, before quickly walking toward the water. The bot followed him still spelling out its warning. Soon, they reached the water's edge.

The Doctor spun around and looked back at the Cyberman before jumping into the water and swimming to the middle.

"Ha! Can't get me in here, can you, metal head?" he taunted. The Cyberman stopped at the edge of the water. I stopped about 20 yards back and looked at the Doctor for my cue. Without looking away from the Cyberman, he nodded his head. I nodded back, and then started running.

When I was about 8 feet away from the Cyberman, I leapt into the air and slammed my feet into its shoulders and kicked off. Flipping through the air, I landed more or less on my feet, and then fell to my hands and knees.

The Cyberman tilted forward and, unable to shift its weight in time, fell face first into the murky water. As it fell, I looked across to see the Doctor climbing out of the water.

Just as the rubber toe caps of his trainers cleared the water, the Cyberman hit the surface and sent an electric current racing through it. Quickly, I ran over the bridge to stand by the Doctor's side.

He looked sideways at me with his eyebrows raised and a smirk present on his lips.

"What?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"Nothing," he said, his smirk growing more pronounced. "Nice job."

"Thank you. You too, Doctor."

We stood looking at the still sparking Cyberman for a minute or two before the Doctor spun on his heel and began walking back toward the TARDIS with long strides. I ran after him.

"So," I asked as we walked along, breaking the silence, "Where are you going next?" In my mind, I crossed my fingers and hoped he asked me to come with him.

"Oh, I don't know. Wherever the TARDIS thinks I'm needed most," he answered absentmindedly. He had his 'thinking face' on.

Internally debating telling him my idea about finding Rose, I didn't notice we were almost to the TARDIS. I did however notice when he stopped walking.

"Well, here we are," he said. The 'thinking face' was gone, replaced with the 'slightly nervous but trying to hide it' face.

"Here we are." I repeated. We stood in silence looking at the TARDIS. Finally, I said, "She's beautiful, you know." I walked closer and ran my hand over a corner post, not caring how strange I looked to the people passing by.

I jumped back when she chimed in my head, and then smiled. "You're very welcome, darling," I said back.

This surprised the Doctor. "You can understand her?" he asked.

I looked back at him, but didn't remove my hand from the box. "Sure. Am I not supposed to be able to?"

He frowned. "Most people cant. At least, not right off. It usually takes a few months before my companions can even hear her, and even then, most never learn to understand her. Those that do are usually more telepathically able that those who can't. For you to be able to understand her now…," he trailed off suggestively and looked at me intently. Then I felt a pressure in my mind. In response, I threw up walls using the method described in The Inheritance Cycle.

"Oi! Ask first! I don't really care if you want to look in my mind; just ask first, 'kay?"

He blinked in surprise. "Okay. But where did you learn how to make mental barriers? By the way, what's with the song?"

It was my turn to look surprised. "Isn't that how you make a barrier, by focusing on something or a song? That what it said in the book." I frowned but kept singing 'Stereo hearts' in my head.

The Doctor frowned too. "Well, yeah, but… Wait! You learned how to make one this strong from a _book_?"

I rolled my eyes and, being tired of trying to explain it to him, let my barrier fall. "Just look," I said. Feeling him hesitate, I sighted and pushed my mind out to meet his.

I felt his surprise as he hurriedly threw up his own walls and slammed shut several doors. Then I felt him delve into my memories. He immediately found the ones about the book and laughed. Then, at my mental shove, he found the ones about the show. He watched them backwards in fast forward, most recent back to the first I ever saw. Only when it came to the ones with Rose did he slow down and linger. His sorrow built up in my mind until I felt tears well up in my eyes. That was when he found the door I had created that was connected to those memories. He withdrew from my mind.

"I suppose you want to know what's behind that door, right?" I asked.

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Of course I'm curious, but you don't have to tell me if you're not ready." I smiled my thanks. There was another lengthy silence.

Then, I said with a sigh, "I suppose I should find my friends. Thanks for the adventure." By now, I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that he wasn't going to ask me to come with him.

"Yeah," he said. "Or…" I looked up at him.

"Or?" I asked when he stopped.

"Or, you could… You could come with me. I need someone around who can make plans that actually work." He looked down at his dusty red Chucks.

"Really?" I grinned. "I could come with you?" I desperately tried to hide my fan girl enthusiasm and failed miserably.

He nodded. "If you wanted." He looked up nervously at me and smiled when he saw the grin on my face.

"I'd love to!" I cried.

The smile spread into a full-blown, ear to ear grin. "Brilliant!" he cried. "Come on then! Into the TARDIS!" The excited man ran into the police box and the door slammed against the inside railing.

Before stepping foot into the TARDIS, I glanced around. If I spotted my friends, I told myself, I would tell them I was leaving.

Then, in the last 20 degrees of my turn, I saw Caitie. She looked at me and we locked eyes for a moment before I looked away and stepped into the world of my dreams, before I stepped into the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- The TARDIS**

I closed the door behind me and tried to convince myself I had just imagined seeing Caitie. I knew I hadn't when the Doctor looked at me with a look that clearly said 'what was that?'

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my chin length, blond hair, then walked up to the console.

"How could I explain this to her? To any of them? 'Hi Caitie! Sorry, but I won't be back for at least the rest of the day because I'm running off with a mad man in a box named the Doctor. Yes, the man from the TV show.' I mean, honestly! No. It's better this way."

The Doctor nodded. "I guess. Well," he rubbed his hands together, "I'll put in coordinates and why don't you go find your room. The TARDIS will show you where to go."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks." I made it about 20feet down the grated hallway before I felt the TARDIS nudge my mind, encouraging me to tell him. Taking this as a sign that my idea might work, I took a deep breath and turned back around.

Rose's Doctor – for that is what he is; he's HERS and he will never be anything else – still stood at the console gazing longingly at the door. As I watched he clenched his eyes shut and shoved his hands in his pockets before turning away from the doors.

_He does that every time the door closes, even if were on another planet. He always hopes that Canary Warf was just a dream and that Rose will just waltz in like nothing out of the ordinary happened. It makes him unbelievably sad whenever those doors don't open again and his pink and yellow human doesn't come stumbling in. For the Doctor is nothing without his Rose,_ the TARDIS said in my mind.

_It's so sad. It makes me hope all the more that this plan will work. Do you think it will TARDIS? _I asked.

_I think it stands a fair chance. It's more likely to succeed than everything else he's thought up. For example, right now he is considering two options. One is to find another version of himself and ask them for help holding the void open while he gets her. The other is just . . . piloting me to the weakest point between the two universes and either throwing himself out the doors into it or just piloting me directly into it._

Trying not to show her how upset these two 'options' made me, I lightheartedly said, _Well, good thing there's a third choice, huh, girl? _Somehow, the TARDIS mentally nodded at me.

Taking another deep breath and coming back to myself, I walked back up the steps and onto the platform surrounding the console. Hearing footsteps on the grating, he turned around, his mask of false happiness firmly back in place.

He smiled, sort of. Well, as close to a smile as a broken man could approximate a smile. "All settled in then?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No. Never got much past the stairs. The TARDIS . . . well, you know how she can see in your mind?" When he nodded slowly, I continued. "Well, she saw this idea that I had back when I watched the show." I began nervously twisting my fingers together in front of myself. "Umm… It's about… It's about Rose."

He was silent. Then, in a quiet, but deadly voice that scared me more than I care to admit, he said, "What about Rose?" His voice broke on her name.

"I… I think I know how to get her back."

Again, he was silent until… he wasn't. With a frightening roar, he threw his coat across the room.

"It's impossible! She's in another UNIVERSE! You stupid ape! One good plan and you think you have the answer to everything! How would you know better than me? I'm a TIME LORD! You're just a human! A stupid ape!" he seethed.

Staying strong and (appearing) brave before his verbal assault, I let him wear himself out. It took about five minutes for the wave of insults and slights to slow, before he stopped and settled for the 'Oncoming Storm' look, which made him look more like a toddler after a tantrum than anything.

"All done?" I asked. Without waiting for him to answer I said, "I thought you would like to know that the TARDIS thinks this could work. Honestly, she's the one who told me to tell you just now. She really does think it could work. Are you ready to listen?" I crossed my arms and held his gaze. He looked away first and seemed slightly ashamed. Still angry as all get out, but ashamed none the less. When he nodded I sat on the jump seat and patted the spot beside me.

The Doctor sat beside me and said, "Alright, what's your idea?"

I looked at him skeptically, "Will you stay quiet the whole time?" He nodded. "Promise?" He rolled his eyes, but nodded once more. "Alright then. Here goes. You, of course, remember when Rose absorbed the heart of the TARDIS. And I know you thought you took all of it out of her, but a part of it remained within her. Not a large part, but enough to connect her to the TARDIS permanently. We, that is, the TARDIS and I, we think that maybe, if you find the right frequency, we could possibly pull Rose through without her actually going through the Void or threatening the balance of the Universe. We also…" I paused to speak with the TARDIS. _Should I tell him? That we think it made her a Time Lady?_

She thought for a moment. _ No. Let's see, 1, if it works first, and 2, if she actually is or not. No use getting his hopes up if we're wrong._

"What! What do you think?" he cried desperately. Surprised, I looked at him. There, in his eyes, I saw a sparkle of something I hoped I wouldn't let down.

I saw hope. Something he had long ago given up on.

"Oh, ummm…," I searched brain for a conclusion to my sentence. "Oh! We think you should find a crack like before but explain to her what's going on so she can say goodbye to her family."

"Yeah… But what if she doesn't want to come?" the Doctor asked softly. I raised my eyebrows and smiled gently.

"Do you really think that will happen, Doctor?"

He threw up his hands and jumped off the seat, then began to pace back and forth in front of me. "But I'd be taking her away from her family. Again. This time, for good! She would never be able to see them again, ever! I miss her, so, so much, but I don't think I can ask her to do that just to be with me. And then she'd be in danger constantly; she could die!" His hands went up to wipe down his face repeatedly, and then he continued in a low voice, "She _will_ die, eventually. My hearts can't take losing her again."

_We have to tell him._ I thought to the TARDIS. _He won't try if he thinks he'll lose her anyway._

The TARDIS didn't reply for a second, then said, _Are you sure he should know?_

_What are the odds of her still being human? _I asked.

_A percentage of about 3. The more time that passes for her, because I do keep track, the lower the percentage gets because the influence of the universe builds up in her._

Curious, I asked, _TARDIS? How long _has_ it been for Rose since Bad Wolf Bay?_

_About 60 years plus a few months, weeks and days you don't care about._

_60 years?! _I felt my eyes grow wide. _So, she's either dead or immortal._

_Pretty much. Now, tell the Doctor. He's worried about you._

_Okay. Bye. _I pulled my mind from the TARDIS and back to the real world. The Doctor was standing with his hands on my shoulders, his face just inches from mine and shouting.

"Erika? Erika! Rikki! Please, what's wrong?" he shouted.

"Why'd you call me Rikki?" I asked.

He managed to look relieved, confused, and annoyed all at the same time when he answered me. "I don't know! Does it matter? What happened?"

"Well, ummm…" I took a deep breath. "The TARDIS and I were talking and she told me something that will probably make you very, very happy." I grinned at him.

"What?!" he cried impatiently.

"She thinks Rose might be, well, like you. A Time Lord, or rather, Lady, in her case. There's only a 2.5% chance she isn't, actually." It had gone down a bit in the time I had been talking to the Doctor.

Slowly, as what I said sunk in, a huge grin spread across his face and his eyes began to sparkle like they had when Rose was still here. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

I laughed. Anticipating what his question would have been, I said, "We think it was when she absorbed the Time Vortex with the heart of the TARDIS. She says it's like when you looked into the Untempered Schism. You didn't change for a few weeks, but you were already Gallifreyan, so it didn't take too long to start. But since Rose was entirely human, it took until the Battle of Canary Warf for it to begin. The TARDIS says… she says that why Rose fell. The process had begun and it's –" He cut me off.

"Painful. So painful. Oh, Rose… I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there to explain it to you." His eyes focused back on me. "But she's a Time Lady?"

I nodded. "We think so."

He smiled again, but it faded. Then he asked, "It's been about 17 years for me. How long has it been for her?"

The TARDIS supplied me with the numbers. "61 years, 4 months, 24 days, 7 hours, 32 minutes, and 10 seconds."

"How do you know that?" the Doctor asked.

I gestured at the console. "She keeps track and she told me."

"That's another thing I don't understand, and I don't like not understanding something, especially about the TARDIS and my friends. How are you so connected to her? Even I ant hear words when she talks."

"Hold on, let me ask her." I sent my mind to the TARDIS. _Well? _I thought. _Why _am_ I so connected to you?_

_Connect your mind to his, little one, and I will tell you._

"She says to connect out minds, and then she will tell us," I said to the Doctor. He nodded, then placed his fingertips on my temples and closed his eyes. When I felt his presence in my mind, I lowered my walls and let him in.

_Hello,_ I said.

_Hi. Where is she?_ He asked. I lead him through my mind to where the TARDIS was. _This looks like… _He trailed off.

_Yes Doctor._ The TARDIS said.

_What does it look like? What's wrong?_ I asked sensing the Doctor's worry.

He said _It looks like Rose's mind before I took out most of the Time Vortex. All gold and… timey- wimey._

I was shocked._ But didn't that almost kill her?_

_Yes. _The TARDIS said._ But that was because Rose had telepathic abilities only slightly above the average human. Our friend Rikki here, Doctor, is nearly as telepathically able as you are. She was also born with a part of the Vortex within her._

_WHAT!_ The Doctor and I yelled.

_How? _He added. He added. _Why?_

_So she could help you get Rose back. Rikki was born soon after Canary Warf and, seeing her potential, I sent part of the Vortex and, by extension, myself, to her. It integrated into her very soul and has grown with her over the years. Currently, she can sense almost the entire thing- that's the gold you see, Doctor._

_Holy shnikes. _I thought after a brief pause.

_Yeah…_ the Doctor thought back. _Wait, _his presence turned toward mine. _Shnikes?_

I mind shrugged. _Would you rather I swore?_

_Ah… No. Never mind. _He turned back to the TARDIS. _So what do we have to do to get my Rose back? _I don't think he even noticed that he called her 'his' Rose. Perhaps that was how he always referred to her in his mind. Not that it wasn't true. She was as much his as he was hers.

_Exactly what Rikki said. Remember with Donna and the Racnoss?_

_Of course I do! But what does that have to do with… oh… OH! I'm such and idiot! If I just reverse the pull of the particles she should appear in the TARDIS!_

I hesitated, not wanting to crush the growing hope I knew was forming. _Not exactly,_

His 'head' spun to face me so quickly he should have gotten whiplash. _How 'not exactly'?_

_Well, _I thought, _that will only bring her to the exact same spot as the TARDIS in her universe. Because the Time Field surrounding the TARDIS even goes into other dimensions. Just 'reversing the pull' as you said won't bring her to you, Doctor. For that, we have to open a hole between the two universes._

_And how do you propose we do that? _The Doctor snapped.

_We would have to build this device. And it would be helpful, but not necessary, if when you speak to Rose, to ask her to make one on her side too._

As I continued to think through what we would have to do, pictures and random thoughts began to glow through the air in front of us. Some of them even came out of the golden glow to merge with others created purely in my own mind.

I didn't notice how quickly everything was moving or how jumbled it was until the Doctor threw up his hands and shouted, _Wait! Stop! This doesn't make any sense_! He gestured to the now frozen thoughts surrounding us.

I looked at him for the first time in several minutes. _It's making perfect sense; you're just not keeping up. _The TARDIS laughed.

He gave me an incredulous look. _Are you kidding me? This,_ he gestured madly in front of him, _jumble makes sense to you?_

It was my turn to give him the look. _You mean your thoughts don't look like this? This is what my mind is like all the time! It makes perfect sense to me._

_How are you still sane? These look like the thoughts of a mad man!_

I sighed. _That's you. Rude and not ginger. And I'm used to it. Anyway, would you like to get back to our previous conversation?_

Suddenly all his attention was back on me. I took that, and his sudden silence, as a yew.

_To get back to what began the 'jumbled thoughts of a sane mad man', it would make it easier for everyone involved if Rose could build one on her side as well. Then we would be able to –_

He cut me off. _ What exactly are we building?_

I shot him a look that said 'don't interrupt me' but answered him anyway. _Something sorta like those magna-clamps you used in Doomsday._

_Doomsday? _He asked.

_The episode you lost your Rose. _I said quietly.

He was silent for a moment. _Oh… _he said at last.

_Yeah… By the way, why are we still in my head, the TARDIS left quite a while back? _I asked.

_I… don't know. _With that, I felt him withdraw from my mind.

"I'm glad you brought that up Rikki, because your mind was giving me a headache!" the Doctor said with a smile.

"Oi! Rude!" I shouted.

"And not ginger!" I smiled at him. The hope alone was already making him better.

"Anyway," I gave him the 'stop interrupting' look again. "These magna-clamps would hold onto the fabric that separates our world from the void and pull it back, sorta like a sardine can. You know, roll up on the top. This will, if there is one on the other side opening at the same time, avoid us all being sucked into the Void. Rose will be pulled into the middle between the two holes and you will reach in and pull her out. Simple and that."

The Doctor thought for a moment, before saying, "You realize you just compared opening the Void to opening a tine of smelly fish?" I nodded. "Alrighty then." He rubbed his palms together again. "Now, how do we build these clamps?"

"No clue," I answered sheepishly.

His mouth gaped open. "You… but you… The… it's… What?"

"I don't know how to make them. I was hoping you and the TARDIS could help me."


End file.
